At the age of 24, Romelu Lukaku has already cemented himself as one of the most prominent attackers in the Premier League. Since his debut in England, Lukaku has managed to score a whopping 85 goals in 186 appearances, along with a total of 28 assists. Those numbers should be mouthwatering for any Manchester United fan.
Let’s take a look at how Romelu Lukaku could fit into our fantasy teams and what potential he has for the coming season.
Fantasy Football Potential
During the 2016/17 campaign, valued at 9.5m, the Everton forward was at one point in time the most owned player in the Fantasy Premier League. The Belgian managed 25 goals last season along with 6 assists. Overall, Lukaku finished the season ranked the 5th highest scorer, with 221 points only after Sanchez, Alli, Hazard, and Kane. The number that would really attract fantasy managers though is Lukaku’s conversion rate. Lukaku managed 110 shots last season, 55 of them came between the sticks, and 25 of them ended up in the back of the net. That means the Belgian was able to convert 22% of his chances into goals.
In the Premier League, Lukaku managed 3 shots per game and 1.3 key passes per game, earning him the man of the match award on 6 occasions. Logically assuming that Manchester United should pose a greater threat than Koeman’s side, Lukaku’s numbers are bound to increase and his conversion rate should prove a great asset for Fantasy Managers worldwide.
Looking at Manchester United’s starting fixtures, West Ham (H), Swansea (A), Leicester (H), Stoke (A) and Everton (H), it is safe to say that the Belgian is a must-have during the initial periods of them game and if all goes well, he should prove his worth for the long run.
Filling the boots of a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic is never easy at any level, but Romelu Lukaku combining with his new friend, Paul Pogba, is a huge threat going forward and to leave him out of your squad would be a great risk. Headers, right foot, left foot, free-kicks and penalties, are all areas of which in the Belgian is already proved his dominance.
Having unfinished business with Jose Mourinho, we strongly recommend including Lukaku in your initial team, unless you want to end up fuming like Chelsea’s Conte for missing out on him at the last minute!
If you have enjoyed this early view of the fantasy potential of those moving teams this transfer window, be sure to check the others here.
Written by Hassan Alaywan (@hassanation)
